Despite what you've heard, composting at home doesn't have to be complicated.

Compost is king when it comes to growing a beautiful garden. This nutrient-rich black dirt forms as vegetable and plant matter decomposes. It's easy to do, is a great way to use food scraps and other items (that might otherwise end up a landfill), and bonus: It's virtually free.

Start with a space.

First, decide whether you want to use a closed container or open space near your garden. Naturally, a closed bin is easily contained, but it can make regulating moisture a challenge, and it will holds less compost. An open pile is easier to mix and monitor, but can be quite unsightly (it is a heap of decomposing material, after all). Whichever you choose, keep it outside, as the compost will emit a distinct odor as the matter breaks down.

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Get mixing.

Start your heap with dirt from your garden, and begin adding food scraps. Throw them in regularly (say, after dinner each day), and also maintain a balanced mixture of wet green material (grass clippings and vegetable peels), and dry brown material (chopped leaves and shredded paper). Stir the pile every week or two evenly to distribute the beneficial bacteria growing inside. Keep the mixture moist, but not soaking wet. In time (a few weeks to a couple months), you'll have a fantastic, nurtient-packed soil.

Grass clippings, chopped leaves, vegetable and fruit scraps, weeds, straw and hay, and shredded paper and cardboard are all great additions to your pile. Even egg shells, coffee grounds and dryer lint are fair game.

... but "no" to these.

Meat and other fatty food scraps can attract unwanted critters. And avoid any inorganic matter, like plastic, treated wood or grass-clippings that have been treated with herbicide. Some experts caution against placing weeds in your compost pile, too. If they're seeding, they might eventually pop up in your garden.